coolant over flow

[owner]

Who pays for this problem me,honda or the dealership?
My bikes nearly a year old 600RR, still under warranty Its just had its 12000 km service about a 2 weeks ago. Kms are now 13750, I pulled into Coromandel pub today after the loop,
As i stepped off the bike i noticed coolant coming out the over flow tube
I turned the bike off,and the coolant stopped leaking (about 50mls max).
There was a small amout of spray on the lower fairing.(no doubt, leaking antifreeze onto the back tyre) So I let the bike and me cool down. I rode to the top of hill and checked it again, and the same bloody thing. I figured the days over and rode quietly back to Auckland. When I got home same 50mls on the ground So Im taking the bike back to the shop on monday. who pays? Might/could be loose hose clip ,radiator cap, full system flush, probaly 3 hours labour. I mean I could have ago myself but why the bloody hell should I if its under warranty?
Any good advice KB?

[Pancakes]

Since you don't know what the problem is it's hard to say. I'd go to the dealer and see whats wrong with it. Then try and make them pay, hehehehe.

[merv]

Under warranty it is the problem of the dealer with support from Blue Wing Honda.

What is the problem - is it leaking or was the overflow bottle just overfilled? Or is it more sinister with the engine blowing the stuff out as in with a blown head gasket or something?

[owner]

I gotta take all the fairings off to see the overflow bottle. The mech top'd it up at the service as it was nearly empty. but there have been no leaks in the previous 1000km. so i dont know. I know what the problem is. There is coolant is leaking near the the back tyre. I dont know the cause of this problem and I dont wanna pay to find out. Do I have a leg to stand on? one yes vote from pancakes
Cheers

[Devil]

Coolant on the back tyre is probably poor overflow hose location.

As for it overflowing, the most likely time it's going to do that is after a service because it has been overfilled. Not unusual the first time the bike gets really hot.

The next thing to look at is take the radiator cap off and check the condition of the rubber seal. I wouldn't expect it to have a problem with that few k's on it, but look nonetheless.

Dont panic. It's not the end of the world. If the coolant temp is showing ok and coolant is coming out, it's a good sign that there's still coolant in the bike!

Edit: Expanding on reason for checking the radiator cap: When the rubber seal perishes, or you have dirt trapping the thing partly open, then the usual pressure of the radiator/cooling system is not maintained, therefore it cannot sustain high temperatures and looks to vent. Hence the overflow of the coolant.
I recently had the above issue, it was a perished seal on the radiator cap. My mechanic found a spare radiator cap and gave it to me for no cost.

[owner]

Hey thanks Devil, good call on the dont panic thing,You got it in 1. I took the fairing off and the bottle is way overfull so I got a tube and sucked some coolant out the overflow bottle. Damn Glycol doesnt taste to great. I took it for a short blat and it seems to have fixed it. Ill take it for a proper strop tommorrow and post up the out come. Thanks KB

[merv]

Glad to hear it was only a minor issue. Ride on

[Max Preload]

I took the fairing off and the bottle is way overfull so I got a tube and sucked some coolant out the overflow bottle.

If it's over-full it's for a reason. Assuming you or the dealer didn't overfill it, and it was correctly checked at the pre-delivery inspection (Tui?) it's over full because the coolant has been replaced by air in the cooling system.

This could be as simple as the pressure cap being faulty through to as bastardly as a cracked head (allowing pressure from the combustion chamber to enter the cooling system).

Always treat any cooling system problems as seriously as you would an oil pressure problem - water cooled engines are built with tighter tolerances than oil/air cooled engines and don't take kindly to low coolant levels.

[owner]

So true, I agree totally. thanks KB for the good info. Im riding down to taupo on thurs for some track days I guess time will tell, if there is a problem.

[nudedaytona]

you're doing better then me - I had a mind meltdown and stuck coolant in the oil tank (the two tanks are right next to each other), had to bleed it out from the engine - all good now though.

I've noticed a bit of coolant coming out the back - I think I might have overfilled the overflow tank. I can't see any marks on it - how do you know where to fill it up to (I have an aprilia rs250). Maybe I'll move the overflow pipe as suggested.

If it keeps leaking coolant I might have to check radiator cap as suggested.